Honors US History - Topic 4

Republic

form of government in which officials are elected by the people

Unicameral Legislature

a lawmaking body made up of a single house

Bicameral Legislature

a lawmaking body made up of two houses

Articles of Confederation

the original federal constitution drafted by the Continental Congress in 1777

John Dickinson

worked as an attorney in Philadelphia before becoming involved in politics and devoting himself to the Patriot cause. In 1765, he served as Pennsylvania's representative to the Stamp Act Congress and wrote its declaration of rights and grievances. Later, he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. In 1776–1777, he helped draft the Articles of Confederation. In 1787, he served as a delegate from Delaware to the Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles.

Federal

national

Northwest Territory

a vast territory north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania as far as the Mississippi River

Land Ordinance of 1785

a law which designed a system for managing and settling lands in the Northwest Territory

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

a law which provided a basis for governing the Northwest Territory

Shays’ Rebellion

a farmers' rebellion, led by Daniel Shays, against higher taxes in Massachusetts

Alexander Hamilton

was born in the British West Indies and went to New York to pursue his studies. There, he became involved in the Patriot cause and wrote three pamphlets supporting the Continental Congress's position on British trade policies. Hamilton fought during the American Revolution and served with George Washington. After the war, he studied law and went on to serve as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Later, he became the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

James Madison

was a Patriot who represented Virginia in the Continental Congress. In 1787, he participated in the Constitutional Convention and was a leading voice in replacing the Articles of Confederation with a new plan for government. For his part in winning passage of the 1787 Constitution, he became known as the Father of the Constitution. Madison went on to serve as Thomas Jefferson's secretary of state and then to become the fourth president of the United States.

Virginia Plan

James Madison's proposal for a unicameral legislature with representation based on population

New Jersey Plan

William Paterson's proposal for a unicameral legislature with each state having one vote

Great Compromise

a compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey plans for a bicameral legislature; each state would have equal representation in the Senate and varied representation, based on the state's population, in the House of Representatives, Written by John Dickinson and thought by Roger Sherman

Federalism

a political system in which power is shared between the national government and state governments

Three-Fifths Compromise

a compromise in which each enslaved person in a state would be counted as three fifths of a person for the purposes of legislative representation

Federalists

one who favored ratification of the Constitution

Anti-Federalists

one who opposed ratification of the Constitution

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the Constitution, protecting freedoms guaranteed to citizens by the government

Popular Sovereignty

a principle in which the people are the only source of government power

Separation of Powers

a principle that divides power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government

Limited Government

a principle stating that the government has only as much authority as the people give it and, therefore, its power is limited

Checks and Balances

a system in which each branch of the government has the power to monitor and limit the actions of the other two

Constitutional Convention

a convention held in PA as the Articles of Confederation were weak, George Washington was leader, they discussed different plans like the NJ(William Paterson) and VA(James Madison) and came to a Great Compromise incorporating both plans.

Legislative Branch

made up of the House and Senate, known collectively as the Congress. Among other powers, the legislative branch makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies.

Executive Branch

consists of the President, his or her advisors and various departments and agencies. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. The following are executive branch organizations and agencies: Executive Office of the President (White House)

Judicial Branch

made up of courts -- Supreme, Circuit, the magistrate (local) and municipal (city) courts. The Judicial branch interprets the laws. The state judges are elected by the citizens rather than being appointed.

Individual Rights

natural or civil rights, rights people have by virtue of being human, the right to live a free and equitable life, guaranteed without interference from government, add them to constitution means to amend the constitution which is why we call them amedments

Republicanism

NOT REPUBLICAN PARTY, balance of powers between the federal and state governments, central government has strength to manage and protect national interests but state governments have freedom to make own laws depending on local, political and economics, representative governement

Roger Sherman

proposed the Great Compromise which combined the NJ Plan and VA Plan, this was written by John Dickinson

William Paterson

proposed the NJ Plan, which was favored in the power of individuals and not the government (Senate)

What did the Articles of Confederation do? What was it lacking that led to the Constitutional Convention?

The Articles created a sovereign, national government, and, as such, limited the rights of the states to conduct their own diplomacy and foreign policy. The main purpose was so rulers couldn’t oppress people. It lacked the ability for Congress to levy taxes and regulate commerce.

Why did states not like the idea of a federal government.

The states were not in favor of a federal government as they feared it being too powerful and similar to the monarchy they just fought a war against.

How did Shay’s Rebellion prove a federal government might be important?

Shays's Rebellion exposed the government's weakness under the Articles of Confederation. The rebellion led many states to lower taxes as the government could not control the taxes. It led many—including George Washington—to call for strengthening the federal government to put down future uprisings.

What was the Northwest Ordinance? Why did they create it at this time?

The Northwest Ordinance chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory.

What did the Constitutional Convention aim to do?

The Convention aimed to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a new government to run the United States effectively. This was not only run by one party, however, as both the Federalists and anti-federalists had to agree on the government.

Explain how the Great Compromise aimed to solve issues with the other plans? How about the 3/5 Compromise?

The Great Compromise aimed to solve issues with the Virginia and New Jersey plans by combining both Madison’s and Paterson’s thoughts on the government to please both the Federalists’ and anti-federalists' needs. For example, the Federalists had proposed a unicameral legislature in the House of Reps. and the Anti proposed a unicameral legislature in the Senate. The 3/5 compromise was reached as both the North and South couldn’t agree on how slaves were counted in government so they made the population 3/5 to please both parties’ needs.

Why did they originally omit a bill of rights?

They originally omitted a bill of rights as they wanted to to avoid any preamble declaring all man are created equal as slaves would’ve been an exception and they thought a bill of rights was unnecessary.

How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution? What was their plan to get it ratified?

There were 9 out of the 13 states needed to ratify the Constitution. The Federalists’ plan to convince states for ratification was to write a series of 85 essays called the Federal Papers.

Be able to describe how each of the 7 Principles of Government helps ensure American values(national government, state governments, freedom from tyranny)

Popular Sovereignty- people are source of power and vote for a leader

Republicanism- a representative government by citizens who actively participate in it, elect reps. whose job it is to pass laws, manage taxes, military ect.

Federalism- balance of powers between state and federal gov.

Separation of Powers- 3 branches of gov.that make laws, pass laws and executes them(one branch isn’t too powerful)

Checks and Balances- a system made so one branch isn’t too powerful and balanced gov.

Limited Government- the limits a government has by law, Constitution spells out powers and limitations of gov.

Individual Rights- amendments, natural or civil rights, no government interference

Federalism

the division and sharing of power between the national and state governments.

Name and describe the 1st ten amendments of the Bill of Rights

1- Protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

2-gives citizens the right to bear arms.

3-No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law

4- Protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

5- protects individuals from being forced to incriminate themselves

6-accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed

7-protects the right for citizens to have a jury trial in federal courts with civil cases where the claim exceeds a certain dollar value

8-Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

9-government cannot take away the rights of the American people that are not specifically listed in the U.S. Constitution.

10-any powers that are not specifically given to the federal government, nor withheld from the states, are reserved to those respective states, or to the people at large.